Conquest of the Zerg: Part One
by entilza
Summary: Fallow the journies of the cerebrete Arosoth as he attampts to bring about ultimate victory for the Zerg.


**Conquest of the Zerg**

Arosoth was a Zerg Cerebrete that had been created by the Overmind. He had been the one who had watched over Kerrigen during her incubation. When the Overmind had been destroyed, he had joined Kerrigen and served her through the Brood Wars. Since then he had done whatever he was told. He had never failed a mission.

"Victory my queen! The Terrans on Reson 4 are destroyed," reported cerebrete Arosoth.

"Excellent, you have proven worthy of becoming my supreme cerebrete," replied Kerrigen. This was the highest honor that a cerebrete could hope to achieve.

"Thank you my queen, I will not fail you."

"See to it that you don't. However, I have another task for you. Terrans have taken control of the planet Bronit, an important mineral source. You will reclaim it in the name of the Zerg."

"It shall be done my Queen." With that, Arosoth directed a large portion of his brood to Bronit. He would come once a solid foothold had been established. As Supreme Cerebrete, he could call upon any resources or troops he needed, reporting only to Kerrigen He was pleased with the work he had done. Now, he was about to complete another great victory.

Meanwhile, on Bronit, Terrans had established a sizable base next to a mountain of minerals. Hundreds of SCV's swarmed around it, snapping off pieces and trodding off to the Command Center to deliver them. It was the most boring job in the universe to the men who operated the slow-moving mining machines. "Hey Hector, ya think we'll get to the Mess in time for chow?" Asked one of the lower ranking SCV's.

"I don't know; let's just finish up the shift. Maybe Hank'll save us something," replied the senior operator.

Inside the main Command Center, a sensor operator was finishing a cup of coffee. "Man, I'm falling asleep here." He said. He yawned and went to get another cup. As soon as he left, a massive blip showed up. It was the first wave of Arosoth's brood. They swarmed to the far side of the planet and immediately began construction of a Hive Cluster. Drones began morphing into structures and gathering resources, while the warrior breeds spread out and searched for any nearby enemies. Arosoth had given them a precise plan to follow, and it would lead them to victory. His plans always did.

"Aw man, all the good stuff's gone!" said John.

"Be glad I saved you anything," said the chief. He was tired and looking forward to climbing into bed and getting some sleep. He also had a stash of stuff that he needed to eat quickly before it was found.

"Ya ya, just give it to us," the operators replied in unison. This had become a very common situation.

"So Hector, ya think we'll get the day off tomorrow?" asked John. "I mean, we're ahead of schedule."

"I wouldn't count of it, General Long's runnin' the show tomorrow"

"Damn, I was hoping to get some rest tomorrow."

As the men left for bed, the chief turned out the lights and left. No one in the base would have slept very well if they had known what the next day would bring.

"My queen, the invasion is on schedule. The first hive cluster is formed and my army is growing. We should have sufficient forces to assault the Terran base within the week," reported Arosoth.

"I am pleased Cerebrete, just make sure you don't fail me." Kerrigen replied.

"I will not fail my queen."

As the minerals around the mountain were starting to thin out a little, Mining Command had sent Lt. Johnson and his squad to find another mineral site.

"Boss, we've been walking for hours, let's take a break," complained Private Michel.

"All right, ten minutes, then we keep walkin'." As the men sat down to rest, there was a rustle in the bushes. Guns went up instantly. There had been sporadic reports of Zerg in the region left over from an assault a few weeks ago. Everyone also knew that a favorite Zergling tactic was to hide in shrubs and ambush unsuspecting Marines. Rifle fire lacerated the bushes, sending small animals scurrying.

"Cease fire, I said cease fire!" yelled the Lt. grabbing the gun of the closest private. "Anything in there's long dead. Now pry it out and let's what the it is." As two men went into the bushes, the rest kept their guns up. The men came out with what appeared to be some kind of rabbit or fox, it was hard to tell because of the wounds the rifle spikes had made.

"Sorry Boss Man, I thought it was a Zergling," one of the men said.

"It's ok, we're all nervous after that Zerg attack, but, break's over. Time to get back to work." The men grumbled under their breaths. It was going to be a long day.

Now that his primary hive cluster was completed, Arosoth himself went to Bronit along with the second wave of his brood. He would lead the attack against the outlying Terran bases. This would leave the main base open to his attack. It was time to claim another planet for the Zerg.

Meanwhile, back at the primary mining complex, the commander was worried. There had been three Zerg attacks lately. They were all in the vicinity of the obliterated Zerg base, so they were probably just leftover troops. Still, something just felt wrong to him. The Zerg cerebrete in charge of that base had been destroyed with it. So why were the Zerg still so well coordinated? Each patrol attacked had lost at least two men. He closed the matter by ordering two squads of Marines and Firebats to check the place out in the morning. With that settled, the General drifted off to sleep, never knowing what was to happen the next day.

As dawn began to break over the storm clouded horizon, Commander Maddox of Mineral Site 5 yawned as he began his assault on the mountain of paperwork stacked on his desk. "This is the worst part of my job," he grumbled under his breath. He looked out the window and saw the familiar site of his twenty SCV's slashing at the mineral stacks. He almost wished he were one of them. "At least I'd be avoiding these red tape battles."

"Sir," came a voice from his comm. panel, "we have an unknown contact at two kilometers and closing."

"I'm on my way," said the commander. Finally he thought, something new. As he entered the command room, the staff snapped to attention. He motioned for them to go back to work. "So, what have you got?"

"Unknown readings, about one click out, closing fast sir," reported the sensor operator.

"Send two infantry squads out to investigate," ordered Commander Maddox.

"Yes sir. Attention, squads five and nine, patrol sector one five niner at once. Patrol on the way sir."

With that, the commander went to hit office in the back of the Command Room. The red tape battles were waiting. What the commander didn't know was they were about to be replaced with real battles.

Suddenly, there were distant explosions. "Commander Maddox to Command immediately," came a frantic voice.

"What was that?" asked Maddox as he strode to his post.

"Zerg forces, three hundred meters out, our patrols were just overrun. I estimate one minute until the Zerg get here sir. What should we do sir?" asked the sensor operator.

"Send a message to command. Under attack by Zerg forces. Repeat under attack by massive Zerg forces, require immediate assistance, out." As the Zerg became visible, Maddox began to feel fear deeper than any he had felt before. He knew was not going to survive the coming attack, so he resolved to do as much damage as he could. As the first wave of Zerglings crested the hill and swept down on the base, a line of marines opened fire.

"Sir, the Zerg aren't stopping, and a wave of Hydralisks just overran the defenses in sector two," reported the combat controller.

"Sent a group of Goliaths and Siege Tanks to contain those Hydralisks, and bring up the second defensive line," ordered Commander Maddox.

"Bring in the second wave," ordered Arosoth. These Terrans were fierce. They tore his Zergling wave to pieces, and his Hydralisks were suffering badly under a Goliath assault. He ordered another wave, this time of Guardians and Devourers. It was time to end this fight.

"Sir, fifty Guardians were just spotted in sector one, and Devourers are ripping our Wraiths apart!" yelled the comm. Operator. "What do we do now sir? Sir?"

But the commander was already dead; a piece of shrapnel had hit him in the head. As the Command Center began to burn under the Zerg assault, Lt. Johnson saw his worst nightmare. A Zerg Queen was coming to infest the Command Center. The Lieutenant quickly put a pistol to his head and fired. It was better than being infested by Zerg spores. Then, vines burst into the command room. The screams echoed throughout the base.

An hour later, the base was destroyed, except for the two Command Centers. They were infested, and coming out of them were some of the Zerg's most destructive minions. Infested Terrans. They lived to kill the swarm's enemies by detonating their own bodies in high powered chemical explosions. The Terrans would be coming soon, so the Infested Command Centers used their jump jets and moved off, leaving behind hundreds of Infested Terrans, burrowed in the ground, to surprise the next Terrans who came here. Deep within his personal Hive, Arosoth knew that the other three other Terran outposts had fallen, their troops dead, and their Command Centers absorbed to serve the Zerg. Now for the main Terran base. It would be a challenge, of that Arosoth was sure. Unlike the outposts, the command base was situated right on top of one of the biggest resource concentrations on the planet. So there would be thousands of Marines and Firebats, waves of Goliaths and dreaded Siege Tanks, Wraiths and possibly even Battle cruisers. Hopefully the assaults on their outposts would draw at least a portion of their defense force away.

"What! All four of our outposts overrun by Zerg! Send half our forces out to crush them!" roared the General. He was a very volatile person, and this made him the perfect pawn for Arosoth.

"But sir, are you sure that's wise, the Zerg could just be trying to draw us off so they can strike here." Replied the Generals' CO. He knew that the General was beyond reason right now. Nothing could stauch his rage once it began to build. Still, he had to try to make him see the truth.

"Are you crazy Captain! The Zerg would never strike here, just look at the defenses around this base. The Zerg wouldn't stand a chance. Now send those troops!" With that, the meeting was over. As the troops departed, the Captain feared that the Zerg would prove to be smarter than the General thought.

"These Terrans are more foolish than I thought. They send so many troops so attack one of my reserve Hive Clusters, yet my choice of targets is so obvious. Were the Terrans always so foolish my Queen?" Arosoth was having a conversation with Kerrigen.

"They have always had a way of missing the true objective of their enemy. They always assume that their troops can handle anything we bring to bear. The base shouldn't give you much trouble."

"I will contact you again when the base has fallen. Until then my Queen." With that, the comm. link was broken. He had sent several Burrowers to gather data on the Terran defenses. They were well arrayed, but a concentrated assault would move them out of place just enough for Infested Terrans to obliterate them. "Yes," thought Arosoth, "this will be my finest hour."

With Bronti's twin suns directly overhead, the temperature was almost unbearable. Only the internal air cooler in each of the SCV's and troop cockpits kept them from becoming ovens. Dozens had already been in for cooler repairs and upgraded with a more powerful and reliable system. That kept the workers and troops happy. However, so much energy was being diverted to the environmental systems that sensor range had been cut by a third. Most of the SCV's were operating in a shaded mineral patch. The ones with the sun had already had their AC upgraded. Still, their paints jobs were flaking and their wheels left behind melted tread every few hours when they shifted position. If it weren't for all these minerals, Dominion Command never would have set up shop on such an inhospitable planet.

"Sir, I'm detecting a massive wave of Zerg approaching our forward line in sector five," reported the radar officer.

"Just as I thought, they can't see our troops they've got so much dust on 'em," gloated the General. He had planned that the Zerg would attempt a forward assault with half his forces out on a search and destroy mission. "Tell our men to let 'em get within a hundred meters and open fire with everything."

"Yes sir, orders received."

As the wave of Zerglings swept down into the base, hidden soldiers and war machines opened fire. Spikes, flames, auto cannons and Siege Shells blew the wave to pieces. Then a wave of Hydralisks opened fire with their ranged Needle Spines, shredding the front infantry ranks. Then Wraiths joined the battle, cutting loose with their Gemini Missiles and 25-millimerer Burst Lasers. When Mutalisks and Devourers countered, the Wraiths cloaked and turned the tide against the Zerg air forces.

With the battle going well, General Long moved up the read guard to reinforce his weakening lines. A Burrower relayed this to Arosoth. "Perfect, now my Infested Terrans, obliterate their read line and open the way for my attack," ordered Arosoth.

"Live for the Swarm," came back the voices of hundreds in unison.

"General, the Zerg are beginning to fall back, but our troops have suffered some heavy losses. We should be able to launch a pursuit in a few hours," said the Combat Coordinator.

"Fine, call the troops back," the General ordered with obvious anger.

As the troops marched back with their wounded slowly, dozens of Infested Terrans that had been buried during the battle rose up. Their bodies erupted in high powered explosions, each one taking out dozens of the clustered troops. Some were blown apart; others were killed from the poison spores the chemicals released. Those that were unlucky enough to catch the spores fell to the ground, coughing blood as the poison worked its way through their systems in a quick but agonizing death. In the matter of a few seconds, the once huge Terran army had been reduced to a third of its original size.

"What the hell just happened!" roared the General. He had just lost nearly two-thirds of his army.

"It looks like some Infested Terrans burrowed during the battle. With all our attention focused on the attacking Zerg, they just weren't noticed."

"Call the other troops back," ordered the General.

"No time sir, even if we could reach them, it'd take them over a day to arrive. I always told you your overconfidence would be your undoing."

With that, the General struck his CO across his mouth with the back of his hand. As his CO sprawled to the ground, the Zerg attacked again.

"Sir, the Zerg have broken through the defense lines in five sectors. We're being overrun. What are your orders sir?" shouted the Combat Coordinator.

"Evacuate. Get these buildings in the air right now, and start evacuating our ground troops," ordered the General. He would be in big trouble with Emperor Mengsk when he got back to Korhal. As the buildings started to lift off however, a wave of Scourges passed over the terran base. The few structures already in the air were blown apart instantly, the air forces simply vanished. The rest of the buildings set back down. As the Zerg forces advanced, the last remaining Terran troops tried to delay them long enough for their General to escape, but they were outnumbered thousands to one. As the Zerg advanced, they didn't destroy the Terran structures, only those who stood in their way. As they approached the cluster of Command Centers, the General ordered them to self-destruct, but the Zerg were somehow jamming the comm. As the Zerg army approached General Long's Command Center, no one moved. They all saw the Zerg Queens infesting the other command Centers. They saw their army of SCV's being slaughtered as they tried to fight. As the Zerg infestation vines burst into his command chamber, the General tried to kill himself with his pistol, but a vine caught his arm. But instead of being infested, they carried him to the Overlord that was bringing Arosoth to the base.

"Greetings Terran," said Arosoth. "We have much to talk about."

"I'll never talk to you, you bastard!" the General shouted at the Cerebrete.

"Oh, you will talk Terran, you will. Take him to my chambers," commanded Arosoth as the Overlord moved to pick him up. The General screamed as he was drawn inside. As the Overlord floated away, Arosoth imagined how much fun it would be to torture the Terran. He also imagined how pleased Kerrigen would be when he told her he had destroyed the Terrans AND captured one of their highest ranking officers. As the Overlord took him to the Hatchery being made, Arosoth could only wonder what would be next for him.


End file.
